Connecticut shooting: Governor explains how he told families of victims

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wipes away a tear as he recalls how and why he decided to tell the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that their loved ones were dead during a news conference at the Capitol in Hartford, Conn., on Monday.Jessica Hill/Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. —
An emotional Gov. Dannel P. Malloy recalled Monday how and why he
decided to be the one to tell the families of the elementary school
shooting victims that their loved ones were dead.

Malloy told
reporters during a news conference at the State Capitol that he sensed a
"reluctance" by officials to tell the anxious group waiting for news at
the Sandy Hook firehouse "that the person they were waiting for was not
going to return."

The normally businesslike Malloy, who choked up
and wiped away tears, had to pause several times to regain his
composure as he explained how he didn't think it was right for the
families to wait a long time for the victims to be identified.

"I made the decision that — to have that go on any longer — was wrong," he said.

Twenty-year-old
gunman Adam Lanza stormed Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday after
first killing his mother. He later killed 20 students, ages 6 and 7, and
six female staff at the school before committing suicide.

On
Monday, Malloy attended the funeral of 6-year-old Noah Pozner while Lt.
Gov. Nancy Wyman attended the funeral of 6-year-old Jack Pinto. The
governor said he hopes to attend as many of the funerals for the Newtown
victims as possible. In cases where there are conflicts, such as on
Monday, he and Wyman will attend services separately.

Malloy said
there are no words to describe the grief he has witnessed in recent
days. He also spoke of the difficulty in trying to find the right thing
to say to the families.

"You try to feel their pain, but you
can't. You try to find some words that you hope will be adequate,
knowing that they will be inadequate, and you see little coffins and
your heart has to ache," Malloy said. "So, you tell them that you grieve
for their loss, you give them a hug and you tell them their community,
their state and their nation and dare I say the whole world stands with
them, and you hope that makes some difference."

Malloy also spoke
to reporters for the need to resurrect a federal ban on assault weapons.
He said in Connecticut, a state considered to have tough gun laws, the
General Assembly should consider banning high capacity magazines of
ammunition, such as the 30 rounds Lanza was carrying. The new
legislative session begins in January.